skill-builder

Process-to-Skill Assistant

Language: English | 繁體中文 | 简体中文

Guides you from "I keep doing this manually" to a properly built Skill, with the right amount of process along the way.

When to Use

• You've done the same multi-step sequence ≥ 3 times manually
• A teammate asks "how do we do X again?" for the 3rd time
• You built a Skill ad-hoc and want to formalize it

Core Principle

A Skill records process knowledge. Memory records historical facts. When you notice yourself executing the same steps repeatedly, that's a Skill candidate.

Decision Tree

New Skill needed?
├── Modifying existing Skill?
│     → Delta path: append ## MODIFIED / ## ADDED to existing SKILL.md
│                   update version field → done
│
├── Answer these 4 questions (any "yes" → Complex):
│     1. More than 7 steps?
│     2. Branching logic between steps (if/else)?
│     3. Requires knowledge from 3+ separate standards/decisions?
│     4. Output directly affects sub-project source code?
│
├── All "no" → Simple path
│     → Fill Skill Brief (templates/SKILL-BRIEF-TEMPLATE.md)
│     → Create SKILL.md directly (no XSPEC needed)
│
└── Any "yes" → Complex path
      → Create XSPEC first → run /sdd
      → Return here after XSPEC Approved

Deprecating a Skill?
  → Add to SKILL.md frontmatter:
      status: deprecated
      deprecated_at: YYYY-MM-DD
      deprecated_reason: "..."
      superseded_by: "/new-skill"   (if applicable)
  → Mark archived in SKILL-CANDIDATES.md

Placement Decision

Before creating SKILL.md, decide where it belongs:

Condition	Placement
Steps reference project-specific paths (e.g. TECH-RADAR.md, DEC-*.md)	Project: {project}/.claude/skills/
Steps are universal (no project-specific paths)	UDS: skills/{name}/ + zh-TW locale

Workflow

Step 1 — Describe the Process

Capture the repeated sequence:

• What steps, in what order?
• How many times done manually so far?
• What tools or files does it touch?

Step 2 — Update SKILL-CANDIDATES.md

Open your project's SKILL-CANDIDATES.md (copy from templates/SKILL-CANDIDATES.md if first time):

• Not yet recorded → add row, fill current count
• Already recorded → increment count
• Count reached 3 → mark trigger ✅, proceed

Step 3 — Choose Path (Simple / Complex / Delta)

Answer the 4 judgment questions. Determine: Simple, Complex, or Delta.

Step 4a — Simple: Fill Skill Brief

Use templates/SKILL-BRIEF-TEMPLATE.md:

• Trigger context (when would you use this?)
• Core steps (3–7, ordered)
• Acceptance Criteria (2–3 items)
• Out of scope (explicit boundaries)

Step 4b — Complex: Create XSPEC

Run /sdd to create XSPEC. Return to Step 5 after XSPEC is Approved.

Step 4c — Delta: Identify Change Scope

Identify which sections of the existing SKILL.md change. Add ## MODIFIED Requirements or ## ADDED Requirements at the end.

Step 5 — Create / Update SKILL.md

Generate SKILL.md from the Brief or XSPEC:

• Verify frontmatter: name, scope, description, allowed-tools
• For UDS skills: create zh-TW locale version too
• For project skills: place in {project}/.claude/skills/{name}/SKILL.md

Step 6 — Update SKILL-CANDIDATES.md

Mark the candidate row: trigger ✅, Skill column filled.

Step 7 — Commit

feat(skills): Add /{skill-name} skill. 新增 /{skill-name} Skill。

{English description, 1-2 lines}

{Chinese description, 1-2 lines}

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <[email protected]>

Output Checklist

After completing all steps, verify:

• SKILL-CANDIDATES.md updated (trigger ✅, Skill name filled)
• SKILL.md created with complete frontmatter (name/scope/description/allowed-tools)
• Simple path: Skill Brief referenced or preserved
• Complex path: XSPEC ID noted in SKILL.md header comment
• UDS skill: zh-TW locale file created
• Deprecated: status: deprecated in frontmatter
• git commit completed

References

• Skill Brief template: templates/SKILL-BRIEF-TEMPLATE.md
• Candidate tracking: templates/SKILL-CANDIDATES.md (copy to your project)
• ADR standards: core/adr-standards.md